By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

             This season has been all about team and there is nobody that stressed that more than head coach Bill Cowher. With all of the injuries the Steelers have had, Cowher knows how important it has been to have players step up and the team come together as one.

            “I think that we have had to,” said Cowher about the team being one. “It’s been a situation all year from the beginning of this camp on with the injuries we have had. You start with Charlie Batch going down, then Kendall Simmons going down, Mike Logan going down, and Casey Hampton going down, we have had player after player again have to step up. Tommy Maddox going down and Ben (Roethlisberger) stepping in there.

            “We have had a philosophy and have adopted that, I think out of necessity. Recognizing that it’s not so much the players stepping in, it’s everybody else having to pick up their games.  

             Cowher thinks the team approach really kicked into overdrive after the Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the second game of the season.

            “I think it was when we got done with that second game of the season, I think at that point we felt like our backs were at the wall and we got beat by Baltimore, got beat very well by them in that second game, and I think from that time on it was more of us being accountable with each and every guy and taking it one game at a time from that point. Recognizing that it wouldn’t do any good to look too far in the future and dwell on anything that we don’t have and let’s just deal with what we do have. I think it’s just kind of built from there.  

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            The Steelers go into Sunday’s AFC Championship Game as underdogs and part of the reason is they are facing the defending Super Bowl Champion Patriots.

            Steelers players respect what the Patriots have done and the type of challenge they present and understand why the Patriots defense is getting the national attention over their own defense that ranks ahead of them in most categories.

            "I mean, they are the champs," said linebacker Clark Haggans. "They've established themselves as a dynasty-type team and franchise. It's just their time, they've arrived, and I guess they're getting the attention they deserve."

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            Guard Alan Faneca knows that the Patriots will throw a different look at them defensively on Sunday and understands the Steelers offense will have to be patient at the start of the game as they adjust to it. 

            "It will be a different look that will make us come to the sideline, look at the pictures from the top and figure it out," said Faneca. "They're going to throw something at us and there's going to be a couple of three-and-outs. We're going to have to stick with it, keep plugging away until we can get a drive going."

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            Faneca and linebacker James Farrior were named to the first team on the Pro Football Writers NFL All-Pro team. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was named the overall rookie of the year, as well as the offensive rookie of the year. Defensive coordinator was named assistant coach of the year.

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